Craaa-zzz BizzzzEEE Day - TGIF

It was a busy day at work.

After work, I rushed off to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Then, I hurried from that celebration to The Lucky Labrador to catch up with Kidlitosphere blogging conference attendees. It was a quick reunion - my son Jake stopped on the way home from work with me.


I ran home picked up my daughter and drove to a friend's party in Vancouver, Washington.

It was a fun - but busy - night. How'd you spend the evening?

EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY - AND ANSWER to Thought for Thursday

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: There's something rotten in the State of Denmark. It was Hamlet's story, set in Elsinore, Denmark. Read more about it here.




This is the moat surrounding the castle:


And, now, for Earth-Friendly Friday.

We writers all use computers made of plastics but is that the best option available? Not any more. Bamboo laptops are earth-friendly. Read more about them here.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY - Hamlet's Castle

QUESTION: Where is Hamlet's Castle?

Buy Books for the Holidays

Need a


Buy some:


Who wouldn't want a good read on a dark and stormy night?

It's winter: wet, cold and time to curl up inside a cozy chair. So, pull the blanket up around your chin and read, read, read.

Jen Robinson has a post about this very subject. Read it here.

And, if we still haven't convinced you, read this post here.

Tuesday Humor from the Pacific Northwest

We know you are from the Pacific Northwest if...

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement 'sun break' and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the 'Walk' Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is
not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and
Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima,
and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark- while
only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by 'Today's forecast: showers followed by rain,' and
'Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers.'

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through
the cloud cover.

20. You notice, 'The mountain is out' when it is a pretty day and you can
actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still
wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones
after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from 'heat' to 'a/c' in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining
(Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall).

REBECCA by DAPHNE du MAURIER - Book Review

Okay, Rebecca is a classic and I’ve even seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie – maybe 30 years ago. This mystery-movie was filled with shadowy suspense and intrigue; however, the book is an entirely different beast.

Du Maurier fills the story with beautiful settings, scenes and thoughtful reflections but, for me, it was rather slow. I actually had trouble getting through the entire story.

I was half-way through the book when my book club met to discuss it – and I can usually read a book in a day or two. But, nowadays, life competes with my reading time so the story has to be quick-paced to keep my attention.

Maybe I’m a little ADHD – but Rebecca would not be on MY list of “must reads”. I know there are going to be a lot of people who disagree with me because, like I said, after all, it is a classic and the book that du Maurier is most known for.

I'm not saying anything to knock Daphne du Maurier. She is a beautiful wordsmith and able to get the reader “into” the story but, for me, it was just too slow.

Another odd thing about this book is that du Maurier never names the main character. It's not until after she marries Maxim that she becomes Mrs. de Winter but she is always overshadowed by his first wife: the beautiful Rebecca – so much so that she never has a name of her own.

By the time the second Mrs. De Winter (the unnamed MC of this book) comes down the stairs for the ball, I knew what she’d be wearing and what would happen – so no surprise there. And, by the time Maxim revealed the truth to her, I knew what he was going to say – so no suspense or mystery there for me either. And, without Hitchcock’s wonderful cinematography, I found the book lacking.

Maybe in the late summer of 1937, when Daphne started to write Rebecca, life moved at a slower pace and weaving words in a wonderful mesmerizing way was enough for most readers but, like I said before, it was too slow for me and I found my mind wandering away from the story.

But, if you are looking for a quiet, slow, literary read of an old classic, perhaps Rebecca is just the book for you. And, the last third of the book IS interesting - especially if you've stuck with it to get here.

Here is one more review, in case you want a second opinion.

Write2Ignite

This was a great first conference! I've been in North Carolina at the Write2Ignite conference in Indian Trails.

So many friendly people were willing to share their advice, tips, hints and even a meal or two:



Jonathan Firesen, Author of Jerk, California, Suzanne Hadley, Editor of Clubhouse Jr., Nancy Lohr, Acquisitions Editor of JourneyForth Books and so many more.



Here are some fun photos from the event.

These are the organizers of the First Ever Write2Ignite Conference: Samantha Bell, Jean Hall and Dr. Gail Hayes:











Sandra Epps is the founder of Sandy's Land a publishing house and children's entertainment services.